So, you know Crunch Bars right? Those yummy Nestle chocolate bars that are literally just chocolate and rice bubbles (krispies)? I loved them growing up and it dawned on me I haven’t had one in years and years. Well, I was in the midst of developing a mocha fudge recipe and I decided to take it up a level.

Layering and fusing desserts is one of my favourite things to do. Chocolate Meringue Brownie cake anyone? Or maybe a Lemon Meringue Cake? But it doesn’t just stop at meringues – I even turned a Milky Way into a tart.

A birdseye view of Mocha Fudge Crunch Bars with a knife next to them.

What are Mocha Fudge Crunch Bars?

These bars, like so many of my recipes, are a combination of favourite things.

  1. A super easy brownie base
  2. A mocha fudge centre
  3. A crunchy chocolate topping

What is Mocha?

The flavour known as mocha is, simply put, a combination of chocolate and coffee. Having begun life as a hot drink (the mochachino), mocha has now morphed into desserts as well. It can be made up of varying quantities of both chocolate and coffee which means you can make it to suit your tastes.

A close up shot of Mocha Fudge Crunch Bars with a knife next to them.

How to make crunch bars

Well, if we’re talking about the Nestle version it’s a simple method of mixing rice bubbles (rice Krispies) through melted chocolate and allowing it to set but to make Mocha Fudge Crunch Bars, here are all the simple steps.

Start by making the brownie base. Beat together eggs and the sugars for about a minute until light and foamy (photo 1). I use both white and brown sugar but feel free to use one or the other if you prefer. Brown sugar generally leads to a more moist result.

A collage showing fluffy beaten eggs and sugar, and then adding dry ingredients.

Next add the cocoa, flour and salt (photo 2) and give them a quick mix through (photo 3).

Now you add a combo of melted chocolate and butter and mix that through as well (photo 4).

2 photos: Stirring in dry ingredients then adding chocolate and melted butter.

Pour the mixture into a lined 8-inch square baking tin (photo 5) and bake for around 20 minutes (photo 6). I then use another square pan to press down lightly on top to flatten out the top of the brownie (this allows the filling to be spread on in an even layer).

2 photos: The brownie base before and after baking.

How to make mocha fudge

The mocha fudge is a simple fudge made using evaporated milk and marshmallows. The evaporated milk keeps it creamy while the marshmallows thicken it up to a setting consistency.

Add evaporated milk, sugar and butter to a heavy-based saucepan over low heat and stir until the sugar dissolves. Now bring that to a rolling boil (photo 7) for around 8 minutes and it should become very thick so that you can drag a line through it with the spatula and clearly see the bottom of the pan (photo 8).

2 photos: Saucepan showing the mocha fudge boiling and then thickened.

Now we add flavour – in goes coffee, marshmallows and some milk chocolate (photo 9). I like milk chocolate the best for this as I think it works better with coffee flavour. Now pour the fudge over the brownie base (photo 10).

2 photos: Adding marshmallows to the fudge and pouring it over the brownie base.

To make that crunchy topping, scatter rice bubbles over the fudge topping (photo 11) and then pour over melted chocolate (photo 12) and let it set for an hour or two before serving.

Top tip: Make sure to drizzle the chocolate over the top slowly, making sure to get full coverage. If you pour it over too quickly it won’t cover the whole top.

2 photos: Top of the fudge covered in rice krispies and then melted chocolate.

The last time I used Rice Krispies in this way was in my Chokito Chocolate Caramel Slice and that recipe is incredibly popular so I was very happy to be using the combination again with one of my favourite candies, fudge. The brownie base? Well, everything is better with a brownie base right?

Substitutions

  • Don’t like coffee? No need to add it. Just leave out the coffee and you’ll have a delicious milk chocolate fudge.
  • Marshmallows – If you don’t have marshmallows on hand or simply prefer it, Marshmallow Fluff also works in this recipe
  • Other cereals – You can use any crunchy cereal you like for this. If you have a hankering to use Milo Cereal or Cocoa Pops you certainly can. Any of those crispy cereals will give the topping a nice crunch, however, I’d steer clear of fruit flavoured cereal as it will clash with the coffee flavour.

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A stack of 2 Mocha fudge crunch bars with another in front.

As long as you like coffee, which I’m guessing you do since you read this far, Mocha Fudge Crunch Bars are highly addictive. My test audience loved testing out these delicious treats, why not make them for your family this weekend?

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A stack of 2 Mocha fudge crunch bars with another in front.

Mocha Fudge Crunch Bars

Yield: 16 serves
Prep Time: 30 minutes
Cook Time: 30 minutes
Setting time: 2 hours
Total Time: 58 minutes
5 from 5 votes
An addictive combination of chocolate brownie base, mocha fudge centre and Crunch Bar inspired topping make these easy to make treats highly addictive.
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Ingredients

FOR THE BROWNIE BASE

  • 57 g (1/4 cup / 1/2 stick) unsalted butter
  • 40 g dark (70%) chocolate
  • 100 g (1/2 cup oacked / 3.5oz) light brown sugar
  • 50 g (1/4 cup / 1.8oz) granulated white sugar
  • 2 large eggs
  • 65 g (1/2 cup / 2.3oz) plain (all-purp) flour
  • 25 g (1/4 cup) dutch processed cocoa
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt

FOR THE MOCHA FUDGE

  • 2/3 cup evaporated milk full fat
  • 3/4 cup granulated sugar
  • 85 g (3/4 stick) unsalted butter, cubed
  • 2 tablespoons instant coffee granules (notes)
  • 1 tablespoon boiling water (notes)
  • 2 cups mini marshmallows
  • 100 g (1/2 cup / 3.5oz) milk chocolate, finely chopped

FOR THE TOPPING

  • 1 cup rice bubbles (rice krispies)
  • 100 g (1/2 cup / 3.5oz) milk chocolate, melted

Instructions
 

FOR THE BROWNIE BASE

  • Preheat the oven to 180C / 350F / 160C fan forced. Line an 8x8 inch square baking tin with baking paper.
  • On the VERY LOWEST heat, melt the butter and chocolate together in a saucepan, stirring regularly. Remove from heat.
  • Use a handheld beater to beat together both sugars and the eggs until lightened and frothy (about 1 minute).
  • Sift over the flour, cocoa and salt and use a spatula to mix through until just combined.
  • Add the melted chocolate and butter mixture and mix through, again until just combined.
  • Bake for 20 minutes. As soon as you take them out, press another 8x8 inch tin down on top just to flatten out the top of the brownie (this step is optional but makes the brownie a nice flat layer for the coffee filling.

FOR THE MOCHA FUDGE

  • In a small heavy based saucepan, mix together the evaporated milk, sugar and butter until the sugar has dissolved. Bring to a rolling boil, stirring often for around 8 minutes until it is very thick (you should be able to see the bottom of the pan clearly when you drag the spatula through).
  • Mix together the coffee granules and boiling water and add to the mixture. Add the marshmallows and milk chocolate and stir well to combine. Pour the fudge over the brownie base and give it a shake to level out.

FOR THE TOPPING

  • Scatter the rice bubbles over the top of the quickly setting fudge, then drizzle the melted chocolate slowly all over (doing this in a slow drizzle will mean better coverage all over. If you tip it straight on, it may not cover the top properly.
  • Allow to set for 1-2 hours.

Notes

  1. I use a standard Australian 20ml tablespoon (= 4 teaspoons worldwide)
  2. You can also substitute Marshmallow Fluff for the Marshmallows in this recipe.
  3. For best results, you should always weigh ingredients like flour and sugar. Kitchen scales are relatively cheap but if you can’t weigh the ingredients, use the spoon and level method (don’t scoop).

TOOLS USED IN THIS RECIPE

WANT MORE BROWNIES AND BARS? CLICK HERE 

Calories: 282kcal
Author: Marie Roffey
Course: Afternoon Tea, Dessert, Snack, Sweets
Cuisine: Bars, Brownies, Italian
Have you tried this recipe?Rate or comment below and let us know how it was!

An extreme closeup of the layers of a Mocha Fudge Crunch Bar